Right-wing settlers marching since noon towards community evacuated during disengagement in northern West Bank, many stopped but some reported to have reached destination. Evacuee: 'We will light Hanukkah candles there'

Moran Rada|Published: 18.12.06 , 15:44

Settlers back in Homesh: Several dozen Israeli settlers attempted to reach the evacuated community of Homesh in the northern West Bank to hold a Hanukkah menorah lighting service at the site.

Police set up barrivades near Shevi Shomron but some setters reported to have bypassed security forces and reached Homesh.

A youth named Yitzhak who asked not be identified by his family name told Ynet: "There are six of us here inside Homesh, there are several Border Police jeeps and a couple of police vehicles searching for us in the area."

Rabbi Shimon Ben-Zion is with one of the additional groups trying to reach Homesh from several different directions. "There are 150 of us walking towards Homesh," said Ben-Zion, "we were expelled from there and we are going back. Everyone knows that it was a mistake, and 'mistake' is putting it mildly. It is a grave injustice to uproot people like this and put terrorists in their place. We want to correct this injustice and return home."

A 30 km march

Yehuda Amrani told Ynet that his group was already on the outskirts of Homesh, after having marched for almost 30 km (19 miles). "We left early in the morning to return to a community in Samaria that unfortunately was brought to ruin during the expulsion. This is our small act to express our return to the values which the state of Israel is built upon, which have sadly been damaged over the past two years."

"We intend to reach the community and hold a small service there, no provocations or confrontations," said Amrani.

Menorah Hazani, a Homesh evacuee, told Ynet that hundreds of people, including Homesh residents and their supporters, are currently en route to the community though there have been several altercations with security forces who are blocking the junctions in Samaria leading to the area.

"This is a pilgrimage to the community," said Hazani, "we will light the Hanukkah candles and declare the formation of a core group that intends to return to Homesh. Already there are 25 families who mean to return there soon… it is possible, it is within our reach."